Kansas St

In his 15 years at Kansas State, Bill Snyder has turned one of the nation's worst programs into one of the best. But he still couldn't win at Nebraska. That changed Saturday. Kansas State not only won in Lincoln for the first time since 1968 with its 38-9 victory, but also handed the No. 18 Cornhuskers their worst home loss since 1958. Ell Roberson passed for 313 yards and the two touchdowns that broke open the game in the fourth quarter. "This stirs up the rivalry again," Roberson said.

J.J. Smith rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns in 34 carries and quarterback Chad May ran for two scores as No. 11 Kansas State routed Nevada Las Vegas, 42-3, Saturday at Las Vegas. May was eight of 13 for 126 yards and a touchdown despite winds gusting to 40 m.p.h. in the regular-season finale for the Aloha Bowl-bound Wildcats (9-2). UNLV (6-5) will play Central Michigan in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Rk. Team Rec. Result Next 1. KANSAS 25-1 Did not play Colorado, today 2. KENTUCKY 25-1 Did not play at No. 17 Vanderbilt, today 3. VILLANOVA 22-3 Did not play at No. 19 Pittsburgh, Sun. 4. PURDUE 22-3 Did not play Illinois, today 5. SYRACUSE 25-2 Did not play at Providence, Tuesday ...

His players didn't come out for postgame interviews, but Ball State Coach Bill Lynch did--and he had a few words for Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder. They weren't the words you might expect from a man whose team had just been blown out by 11 touchdowns for its 20th consecutive loss, the longest losing streak in the nation. Lynch called Snyder's visit to the Cardinals' locker room Saturday night, after the No. 7 Wildcats' 76-0 win at Manhattan, Kan.

After so many easy victories, No. 6 Kansas State got what it probably needed most the week before Nebraska--a big scare. For worried players and fans, Saturday's 20-14 Big 12 victory over Colorado at Manhattan, Kan., brought back haunting memories of last year's double-overtime, 36-33 loss to Texas A&M, when Kansas State lost a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of the Big 12 Conference title game and a shot at the national championship.

For all of Kansas State's offensive might, two key interceptions by safety Jon McGraw loomed just as large Saturday as the No. 5-ranked Wildcats opened their Big 12 campaign by overwhelming Colorado, 44-21, at Boulder, Colo. McGraw thwarted a Colorado scoring drive with a diving interception late in the first half, enabling Kanas State to hold onto a 14-point lead. Then, late in the third quarter, he returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown, putting Kansas State ahead, 41-13.

Long Beach State did not miss its first 18 shots like it did last year against Kansas State, but the 49ers still came up short in a 90-77 loss to the Wildcats Saturday night before 2,134 at the Pyramid. Despite playing without senior guard Tommie Davis, who left the team for personal reasons on Friday, and junior center Mate Milisa, sidelined because of an ankle injury, Long Beach State (3-6) played Kansas State (8-2) much tougher than it did in last year's 39-point loss at Manhattan, Kan.

The World Series came not a Jack Clark home run too soon for the University of Missouri. All of a sudden, the state mercifully forgot about the Tigers (0-6). So did Nebraska, which edged Missouri just 28-20, dropping the Tigers to No. 2. A Missouri win over Nebraska would be something so improbable as to defy the imagination--the equivalent of, say, an Oregon State victory over Washington. Never happen.

Willie Burton stayed up late the night before, cutting down to size the mask that protects his broken nose. Then he cut up Kansas State with his shooting. Burton scored 18 of his 29 points in the first half Thursday, and Minnesota downed the Wildcats, 86-75, in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. East Regional at Greensboro, N.C. "The first mask I wore (in practice), I couldn't see at all," Burton said. "This one wasn't much better. That's why I had to work on it.